


It Started With A Call

by TsuyuIndeed



Category: SK8 the Infinity (Anime)
Genre: Child Abuse, Comforting Reki, Found Family, Hasegawa Langa In Love, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Kyan Reki Deserves Nice Things, Kyan Reki Needs a Hug, Kyan Reki is a Ray of Sunshine, Langa wants to protect Reki, Light Angst, M/M, Parental Cherry and Joe, Pre-Relationship, implied Renga, mutual feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-13
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-21 07:41:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30018414
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TsuyuIndeed/pseuds/TsuyuIndeed
Summary: When Reki starts receiving phone calls late at night when he’s at ‘S,’ Langa and the gang realize something is off and decide to investigate.-Inspired by onedaysomedaytoday's “Big Family of Skaters” series.
Relationships: Hasegawa Langa & Kyan Reki, Hasegawa Langa/Kyan Reki
Comments: 26
Kudos: 385





	It Started With A Call

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Cookies](https://archiveofourown.org/works/29424207) by [onedaysomedaytoday](https://archiveofourown.org/users/onedaysomedaytoday/pseuds/onedaysomedaytoday). 



> Inspired by onedaysomedaytoday's “Big Family of Skaters” series. Please read her stories if you haven't already! They are so good and I'm really grateful she allowed me to post a one-shot based off her series. This is NOT canon to her storyline.

They should have known something was wrong the moment Reki received a phone call close to midnight.

Even if it wasn’t a school night, it was still late so it didn’t make any sense why anyone would be calling the redhead at that time. Langa hadn’t been there at the time but according to Miya and Shadow, Reki had looked at the caller and told their friends that it was his mother so he had to take it. The two thought nothing of it when Reki walked away and stood far enough that no one could hear them.

When he came back, Reki had his usual sheepish smile.

_‘Sorry! My mom found out I sneaked out and wants me home. Tell Langa I’m sorry I have to miss his beef but I’ll make it up to him.’_

Langa was saddened when he learned that his best friend/crush hadn’t watched him compete, but figured it was a one-time thing.

That should have been it.

But after that night, the phone calls continued and Reki would leave shortly right after each time. Their entire crew had their suspicions but it wasn’t until Reki started coming to ‘S’ every night looking exhausted that they became worried.

Each time one of them asked if anything was wrong, Reki would smile brightly and give them an excuse.

_“I stayed up late coming up with a new design!”_

_“I worked on a new board until dawn.”_

_"My sister forced me to watch a scary movie last night and I couldn’t fall sleep right after!”_

Even Langa didn’t believe it and he was the worst when it came to reading others.

Tonight their concerns only increased when Reki had fallen asleep in front of them while they were at ‘S.’

The teen was sitting down with his legs pressed against his chest and his arms wrapped around them. His head rested between his knees with a little trail of drool falling from his lips. 

Reki was a ball of energy, always messing around and laughing with them when he was at ‘S.’ To see him passed out at his favorite place made everyone uncomfortable because they knew something had to be wrong.

Langa sat beside Reki with Miya standing on the sleeping teen’s other side. Joe and Cherry were ‘quietly’ discussing amongst themselves who would have the talk with Reki while Shadow stood in front of the group, arms crossed and glaring at any bystanders that were looking at them.

/BZZT/

The familiar sound of Reki’s phone vibrating caught everyone’s attention. The redhead slowly woke up and fished out the device from his pocket. He was so tired that when he answered it he didn’t notice where he was or who was next time to him.

“Hello?”

The person on the other line must have been whispering because not even Miya or Langa could hear who it was.

“Again?.......That’s fine. I’ll just keep staying with my friend….Yeah I’m sure. Could you please leave my stuff out like last time?....Thanks mom.”

He ended the call and was surprised to see he was surrounded by his friends.

The skater smiled though they could all tell it wasn’t genuine. “Oh, hey guys! Sorry did I miss anything?”

“Reki, who was that?” His blue haired best friend asked.

“Oh, that was just my mom.” He grinned as he rubbed the back of his head. “Sorry guys but I kind of have to go.”

Miya pouted and opened his mouth to argue. “But-”

“That’s fine.” Kojiro interrupted, surprising the group while continuing to smile at Reki. “Stay safe and we’ll see you next time.”

Reki shot Joe a thankful look before he said his goodbyes and skated towards the exit.

Kaoru glared at the chef. “What was that all about you stupid Gorilla?”

Joe turned to the group and grinned, “Isn’t it obvious? We’re going to follow him of course.”

* * *

And so they did. Langa and Miya rode with Shadow while Cherry and Joe drove their respective motorcycles. Reki had gotten a head start, which worked in their favor. By the time they arrived, they barely saw Reki entering his home. They kept a safe distance from the Kyan home, not wanting to attract Reki’s attention just yet if he were to come out.

Shadow rolled down his car’s windows so they could communicate with the two semi-pros.

“This is stupid…” Miya stated from his seat in the back. “We should have just asked him. What if he’s not actually going anywhere and we’ve waste our time out here?”

“We’ll wait 10 mins and if he doesn’t come out, we can assume that’s it for tonight.” Cherry instructed. However, only a minute passed before they saw Reki open the front door and gently close it behind him. He had his board in his hand and a sports bag hanging from one shoulder.

As he was walked towards his gate, the front door opened and a man marched towards the redhead. Reki had stopped walking but didn’t turn back around.

Before anyone could question who that was, the mysterious man grabbed the redhead by the shoulder and spun him around. Instantly he threw a punch to the right side of Reki’s face; the impact was so hard that the hit echoed into the silent night and caused the skater to collapse on the floor.

“REKI!” Langa yelled and would have exited the vehicle if Shadow hadn’t grabbed him by shirt.

“Wait.” Shadow hissed, his eyes still locked on the fallen teen.

The man stomped on Reki’s side and shouted, “Next time you better respect me you damn brat!”

The adult walked back inside the house, unaware of the group who just witnessed his assault on their friend.

Kojiro, who had been stopped by his pink haired friend’s hand, rushed over to Reki along with Langa, Miya, and Kaoru.

“Reki!”

Joe rushed the side that was closest to the door; he wasn’t sure if that man would return but he was prepared to defend Reki if he tried to attack him again.

Langa was on Reki’s other side, hand on his shoulder since he wasn’t sure in how much pain his best friend was. “Reki, are you alright?”

Unfortunately the punch was strong enough that it caused Reki to bleed from his mouth. The injured teen looked up in confusion. “Huh? What are you guys doing here?”

“You stupid slime, is that really what you should be asking here?”

“Carla, analyze Reki’s injuries.”

“Analyzing Red Son’s injuries,” Carla confirmed as she scanned him. “No serious injuries. Teared lips are causing bleeding; lower right side cheek is starting to swell, and right side near the ribs are lightly bruising.” 

Thankfully it was nothing that required a hospital visit but obviously they weren’t going to leave Reki in the state he was in.

“We’re going to my apartment.” Kaoru declared.

Reki opened his mouth to protest but one dark look from Cherry and he practically froze with fear. There was no room for argument here.

* * *

Everyone was glad when they made it to the semi-professional’s home. It had been an awkward ride there. The ninja skater had given Reki a handkerchief to apply pressure against his bleeding lips but Langa had swiped it and tended to his classmate’s wounds until they stopped bleeding. The redhead had tried to protest and insist that he could do it himself but one look from his crush and Reki knew there was no changing his mind. Seriously, was Langa taking glaring classes from Cherry or something?

When they finally made it inside, Kaoru instructed them not to make a mess while he went to change out of his ‘S’ outfit.

Reki dropped his bag by the entrance and was about to sit in one of Cherry’s wooden dining chairs when his best friend grabbed him by the wrist and dragged him to the living room couch.

“Wait! Langa, I don’t want to accidentally dirty-”

The blue haired teen sat down and pulled his love interest onto his lap. The Canadian wrapped his arms around him and buried his face into his back.

Reki’s face burst into color. “Langa, what-”

That’s when Reki noticed just how tightly Langa was holding onto him and how deep he had buried his face. A gentle look came across the boy when he realized just how worried his classmate was.

Langa had witnessed his best friend get assaulted by an unknown man for an unknown reason and Reki wasn’t telling him anything nor had he told him anything what was happening with him within the past week. It made sense why Langa was scared that his Reki was slipping through his grasp once again.

“I’m sorry,” Reki mumbled, placing his own hands on the guy’s he admired. “I should have told you sooner.”

“Damn right you should have!” Miya yelled, startling both high schoolers. When Reki remembered he was in front of their friends, his blush intensified. Heck, even Cherry had come back from changing and he hadn’t even realized it. Normally the group would have been teased them for their public affection but even young Miya knew how serious this situation was and choose only now to interfere.

“Reki,” Joe started from his seat behind Cherry’s kitchen counter. “I’m sorry but we’re going to ask a lot of personal questions. Please understand that we just want to help and understand your situation better.”

“I agree,” Kaoru commented as he walked towards Reki. He brought him an ice pack and glass of water. Once he placed the items on top of his coffee table in front of the injured teen, he pulled out a bottle of pain killers from his pocket. “Nothing leaves the room and you only have to share what you’re most comfort with.”

“I promise I won’t say a word,” Shadow vowed.

“Me too,” Miya mumbled.

Reki looked around him; Cherry and Miya had chosen to sit across from him on the opposite couch while Joe stood from behind the kitchen counter and Shadow sat on the dining chair he was originally going to sit at. And after feeling Langa’s strong arms around him again, his heart began to feel heavy. To think this many people cared about him; the intense emotions he was feeling almost made him want to release a tear or two.

After taking the pain killers and applying the ice to his cheek, he agreed.

“Thank you Reki.” Joe smiled before looking serious. “I guess the first question is obvious but who was that?”

The redhead hesitated before answering. “That…was my dad.”

The adults’ expressions hardened. Joe, Cherry, and Shadow had been suspecting this for a while but to hear Reki confirm it still made them feel awful.

“Your father,” Langa muttered before tightening his grip on the boy again. Reki couldn’t blame him for his reaction. Though Langa’s father recently passed away, it was clear he had had a wonderful parent who showered Langa with nothing but the love and affection he deserved. It must have been shocking to learn that Reki didn’t have the same experience with his own father.

“What? Why haven’t you called the police on him yet?” Miya demanded with a loud voice. It was clear this was very emotional for him. Seeing someone he viewed as an older brother (no matter how much he denied it) be attacked by a family member, and his father no less, was a lot to take in for the thirteen year old.

Kaoru placed his hand on the boy’s arm to help him calm down.

“I can’t do that.” Reki relaxed more into Langa’s embrace. “My dad, he makes good money, like really good money. That’s how he can afford two places at once. If he were to lose his job and go to jail, my family and I would be thrown into the streets.”

“So you’re financially dependent on him.” Kaoru muttered, more to himself than to Reki. There went his plan to ask Carla to leave an anonymous tip to the police about this incident.

“Yeah but that’s fine. My dad has never hit any of my little sisters and I only see him maybe 2-3 times a year so it’s never been a big deal.”

“And your mom’s okay with this?” Shadow asked, clearly bewildered.

Reki glared at the florist. “She’s doing her best for our family. Plus once she found out how my dad disciplined me, she had him move out of the house.”

_‘Disciplined.’_

Everyone winced when they heard that word. Is that what Reki’s father called it? Judging by the fact that he had shouted at Reki to show him respect, it made sense that’s how he justified abusing his child.

Joe and Shadow were very attempted to go to Reki’s home and give the man a taste of his own medicine. Cherry was calmer (on the outside) but he vowed to himself that he would have Carla do a proper investigation and figure out if there was still a way to report a domestic child abuse incident to the authorities.

“Can’t you fight back?” Langa asked. “Or at least not take the hit?”

The redheaded skater shook his head. “I don’t want to risk upsetting him. He pays all the bills so if he decides he doesn’t want to anymore, my family would be screwed.”

Reki stops before having a look of hesitation appear on his face. It’s silent for a few seconds before he continues. “I’ve tried…not to get hit before. But when that happened, my old man just went after my tools.”

The high schooler let out an exaggerated groan. “It took forever to replace everything he trashed.”

“That’s a stupid reason for not avoiding a hit.” Miya commented as Reki felt Langa nod against his back.

“That’s because you don’t have your own tools to build and fix your skateboards!”

“Losing a tool is better than losing your head you idiot!” Shadow argued back.

“Do you have any idea how much they cost?!”

Kaoru cleared his throat, instantly stopping their argument. He obviously agreed with Shadow and Miya but knew Reki wasn’t going to be persuaded today. “Anyways, Reki didn’t you say you were heading to your friend’s home? Do you need to call or message them?”

Reki yelped. This time he wasn’t sure if it was because of his nerves or because Langa tightened his grip again.

“That…” He grinned sheepishly. “Might have a small lie I tell my mom so she doesn’t worry.”

“Reki…” Joe narrowed his gaze. “Where were you going to go if we hadn’t stopped by tonight?”

“Nowhere bad!” He rubbed the back of his head with his free hand, looking embarrassed. “Just…it’s easier for me to not be in the house when my dad comes home and I’m saving money to move out when I graduate so….sometimes I sleep at the skate park because it’s cheaper than staying at a hotel.”

The silence that came after that sentence almost became unbearable for Reki. He could tell that last bit of information really made them uncomfortable. Not that he could blame them entirely. After all, who would be okay to know that one of their friends sometimes has to go without electricity, running water and a roof over their heads?

But it wasn’t like this was permanent.

“It’s not that bad honestly!” Reki tried to sooth the tension. “It’s only for a few hours and I always wake up early to go home and shower when my dad’s asleep. Like I said, this rarely happens so it’s never been a big deal.”

“Why didn’t you just come over to my place?” Langa asked. The redhead could hear the hurt in his tone.

“Like I said, it doesn’t happen often so it’s never been a real issue!” Reki squeezed Langa’s hand to reassure him everything was okay. “This is the first time my dad has stayed as long as he has. Totally caught me by surprise. I guess he took a vacation or something?”

“So let me get this straight,” Cherry narrowed his gaze at Reki like Joe had done earlier. “For the last few days, you’ve been sleeping outside in a skate park, which can be dangerous if you encounter the wrong group of people, all to avoid your father?”

“Yeah but it’s not-”

“It IS a big deal dumbass!” Shadow yelled from his seat. “The city can be real dangerous at night if you’re alone. You can get mugged, stabbed or kidnapped you freaking idiot.”

“Even I know that and I’m just a kid.” Miya chimed in.

He flinched. Okay, maybe he had never really thought about that but it always seemed like it was the best way to save money. Plus the park had always been empty.

“You’re staying here tonight.” Cherry used his ‘no room for discussion’ tone. “If your father is still home tomorrow, we’ll figure something out. But no more sleeping outside.”

“You’re not alone kid. Rely on us more.” Joe stated as walked across the room to rub the top of Reki’s head. Reki looked around and saw just how much they wanted to help him. He wasn’t used to having this much support so it felt weird but in a good way. Not trusting his voice, he nodded and tried to stop the tears that wanted to escape.

Soon after, Miya and Shadow had to go. Langa wanted to stay the night as well and though Kaoru would have preferred to only have one guest, he couldn’t fight against Langa’s determined look.

Joe walked Shadow and Miya to their car while Kaoru went to prepare the guest bedroom.

When both adults came back into the living room, they saw that Langa and Reki had changed positions and the ice pack was long forgotten, now resting on the coffee table. Reki was sitting beside Langa but was resting his head on the other high schooler’s shoulder, looking like he was ready to pass out. Honestly, they were surprised he was still awake. Not only had he not been sleeping well these past couple of nights because of where he slept but he also took strong painkillers and had to explain a very personal situation that could have been emotionally draining for him. He should have passed out minutes ago.

“You know,” Reki mumbled, unaware of the two adults in the room. “When my mom found out, she wanted to divorce my dad. But my dad threatened to hire the best lawyer and take full custody of everyone. The twins had been maybe only a year then and my mom had been a housewife for years. Chances are they would have looked at my dad’s salary and decided we should go to him.”

Reki continued to talk, not seeing how close Langa was to tears. “Sometimes I wish I could have hidden it better. Maybe we could have still pretended to be a family. I really messed things up.”

“No Reki,” Langa spoke softly. He gently ran his fingers through the red hair, wanting to bring comfort to the person he cherished most in any way he could. “That was your father’s fault. He should have never hit you in the first place.”

Reki stayed quiet for a few minutes. If it weren’t for the fact that his eyes were slightly open, they would have all thought he had fallen asleep. But he continued in a quieter voice. “My mom and I talked about what to do when she first saw him do it. She was really sorry. She wanted to send me off to live with a relative while she figured out what to do about Dad. But I didn’t want to be apart from my family. So we promised when I would graduate, I would move out and she would divorce him and find a smaller place to live with my sisters. The twins would be old enough to attend school by then and mom would be able to work.” 

His voice grew softer, heavy with sleep. “I’ll get a really good job and support my family. Dad won’t be around anymore….we promised….

“Just a little longer…” Reki muttered before fully closing his eyes. “Just… have to be…patient…” 

The redhead drifted off to sleep then, unaware of the conflicting emotions everyone was feeling after hearing his story.

“To think he has this heavy of a burden at such a young age.”

Kojiro felt his heart go out to the kid. He and Kaoru grew up with their own troubles (Cherry had extremely strict parents and Joe didn’t have the best relationship with his own father but never did he lay a hand on him.) It saddened him to think that their sunshine child was hiding all this pain.

“We’ll have to watch over him more closely. Reki is clearly the type of the person to hide their troubles to not worry others so if you notice anything suspicious, make note of it.”

“Is that it? As adults shouldn’t we be doing more?” The frustration was clear in Joe’s tone.

“Think for a moment idiot Gorilla. Reki clearly explained that their family is financially dependent on their father, which means that man currently has the upper hand. If Reki truly is the only one being abused, then it makes sense we help keep him away from his father. Hopefully next time he’ll let us know but if he starts acting like he has been this past week then report it so we can help Reki make arrangements.”

Kaoru turned to the rookie. “Langa, please let us know if Reki starts acting strange again.”

The blue haired teen nodded. “I promise I’ll watch over him.”

After they all reached that agreement, Kojiro helped carry Reki to Kaoru’s guest bedroom. It was no surprise Langa followed behind. Kaoru let it slide as he knew there was no point in having the boys sleep separately.

The adults wished them a good night, told Langa to call them if he needed anything and left the room.

* * *

Once Joe and Cherry were gone, Langa changed into the PJs the ninja skater had left for him.

Then the teen turned to his sleeping friend and wondered if Reki would be comfortable sleeping in his current attire.

Cherry did leave him with an extra pair of pajamas.

Langa felt embarrassed. If he were to undress the love of his life, would Reki be upset with him in the morning? But still, he might feel more comfortable if he wasn’t wearing the tight uniform jacket over his hoodie. He could at least remove that right?

As he removed the jacket, his hand accidentally pressed hard against Reki’s side, causing the redhead to wince but not wake up. That’s when he remembered Reki’s father had kicked him and Carla confirmed a bruise would be forming in that spot.

He clenched his teeth, feeling the same frustration he felt earlier when he witnessed his best friend being attacked.

Langa glanced over at Reki. The teen was resting on his uninjured side, drool once again escaping his lips. Seeing that made him smile, but it didn’t completely erase the tension he was feeling in his heart, especially when he could see the bruise on Reki’s face. 

The teenager slowly got on the bed. Normally the foreigner could fall asleep in 3 seconds but there were too many thoughts swirling in his head for that to happen.

“Is it selfish that I want you to rely on me more?”

He wanted nothing more than to keep Reki close to him and ensure that no one could ever touch him again. He wanted Reki’s father to stop harming his best friend because Reki was nothing but loveable. How could anyone think any differently?

The way he would smile would make you feel like nothing was wrong in the world and even though Reki’s laugh didn’t sound like bells, it was full of life and joy. Anyone with a heart would feel their spirits lift after hearing him laugh.

And it was because Reki was such a funny and carefree person that he was able to fool Langa so easily. Langa wasn’t the best when it came to reading others but he thought he could read Reki pretty well. But now he wonders how many times his best friend had shown him a fake smile and he fell for it?

This time he noticed something was off but didn’t investigate. If Reki said he was fine then he would trust his friend.

But it was like Cherry said; Reki is the type of selfless person who doesn’t want to worry others. And if Langa couldn’t see behind the mask he wore, how would he be able to help Reki when he was in trouble?

That’s why, Langa vowed, he would start watching over the boy he was so fond of more closely. He wanted to show Reki that he was someone he could rely on, like how the other skater had done for him multiple times.

They still had a lot to talk about; one night was not enough to discuss the years of pain Reki had carried. Langa could only hope that over time, Reki would let him into his heart and allow him to try and heal his wounds. That he would allow Langa to love and cherish him.

Next time, he wouldn’t need to hear a phone call to help the person he loved.


End file.
